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First, I'm on Atripla. My side effects= absolutley nothing. I know, I'm very lucky and blessed in this regard.

Atripla is a Non-Nuke/Nuke. Some of the other drugs are Protease Inhibitors. In some studies, it has been shown that the PI's are the culprits of the "body changes" that can occur with long term HAART. Though, everyone is different. This to was a initial concern of mine, and when I told my Doctor, "please don't give me the drugs that will sink in my face ect", he said "Steve, the difference between you and some of the people that have those issues, is that you- don't do drugs, don't really drink, don't smoke, and your active". He also told me that long term survivors that were on the meds of the late 80's early 90's were more likely to have this because AZT, (though it did save people's lives), actually killed some people or just left them scarred for life with facial wasting.

Bottoms line is, at the end of the day we all want to live. I know I do. I don't want those "changes" to ever happen to me- if they did, I would probably be so devasted I would be paralzed. BUT- I still would want to live, and hey that's what Sculptra and fat transplants are for.

All my best to you man, take the Atripla- you'll do fine. Program your mind to say "I control this drug, it DOES NOT control me". Freud would have agreed that the mind-body connection can overcome any CNS side effects.

Well, not for nothing, but I'd imagine it'd take far more than 18 days for noticeable body changes to occur. However, the usual nausea and runs associated with HIV meds do typically occur immediately for most side-effect sufferers so you are lucky in that regard.

I was just switched to Atripla yesterday after nearly six years on Norvir, Lexiva, and Truvada...and 4 years of Combivir and Viracept before that.

I'm very pleased to know that this once-a-day regimen seems not to include body changes as one of its side effects. Unfortunately I did notice substantial body changes while on the 5 pill a day regimen listed above. Apart from the common weight gain (I went from a scrawny 130 lbs. to a chair splitting, butt clapping, earth shaking 174 lb. all-time-high in 2006) I had the runs like you won't believe. But to be totally honest, I did eat for 12, so it wasn't all due to the meds. Though I'm pretty sure they didn't help as I had fat buildup in the strangest of areas, one being my upper back and around the armpit area. Blech.

I put myself on a major weight-loss diet in late 2006 and I'm happy to report that I'm back to my former 130 lb. self, and the Quasimodo-esque camel hump has significantly reduced in size. I've found the meds do absolutely speed the weight gain process and deposit blubber in the most random and private of areas. I still have a slight hump, if you will, but it's nothing compared to before.

So like others stated--eat right, do some exercise, stay away from drugs, and I'm sure you'll be alright.

I'm also very early on with Atripla, weight gain etc. may happen down the road, but my MD warned me of two early (as in first couple of days) side effects - Vivid dreams and "the runs". I thought vivid dreams was a polite way of saying nightmares, but for me,...no just vivid, kind of weird. First happened on night two, I had constructed an octagon house made of concrete. It had beautiful beams of hand oiledl walnut for a ceiling, but no walls. And worse, my brother lived in it! I was so jealous and angry that I rode my bike to the beach to relax, ( I live in Dallas, TX. and I don't own nor have I ridden a bike in thirty years.) Dreams like this for me, just come one after the other, but they're silly, but yes, very vivid. I rarely recall my dreams. I actually experience a bit of euphoria shortly after my bedtime dose, I kind of hang around and wait for it to hit, then I go to bed...and build houses of cement for family members I don't like. I'm a web developer I can't hang a picture straight. Yea, definitely a side effect dream.

I don't mind sharing this second story as off-color as it is, and it may not have been from the new med, but I do suspect it was as this condition is extremely unusual for me. I was on my second Starbucks coffee, standing in line at the bank, mid-morning. A long line I might add. I was wearing white boxers, khaki's (in the proper order fortunately) and a tee shirt. I had already had a normal bowl movement prior to leaving my house. This was at least an hour and a half later.

There were only two tellers open, two people in front of me, and several behind me...everyone at a respectable "polite banking business" distance. I had felt a sensation that I had to pass gas, you know your body and you know if you're about to blow the room out the door or not, the indicator was, "only I'll know..." and so I did, no big deal. Just moments later, I felt it again, same sensation, no reason to not think it wasn't a two-for so I did a casual weight shift and unfortunately used a little force. BAD, BAD move. I'll spare you all the visuals but let's just say, there was no stopping it and worse, I was wearing khaki's, ( I know it's December, but in Texas light colored pants in winter are acceptable<G>I jumped out of line and trotted, literally to the front door. The security guard seemed alarmed, he was an older man and I just smiled and said, "Um bad planning and too much coffee..." he grinned right back and whispered,... "Men's room is right over there?" I replied, "It's a little late for that..."

A two mile, wet and warm drive back to my house I removed all of my clothes in the garage, (yes I shut the door) I put my underwear and pants AND socks in a garbage bag, (bless you Hefty) and tied it twice, put it into my trash bin and whispered, "I'm so sorry" to it so it would pass that message on to the garbage men due on Monday. I took a shower, "sat" for a while more...and only when I was convinced there was nothing left in me, did I get dressed again. Then brought my car to the car wash and used their steam vac on my seats.

Funny? Sure, if you don't laugh you'll cry. Could have been caused by several things, but chances are, a high dose of caffeine, this new med known to cause this side effect were the culprits. The side effects pass in a few weeks. So, like others say I'm lucky and not worried. I can pack a spare pare of clothes in the trunk and might even buy a box of depends for the mean time.

Moral of the story - Be prepared, carry a change of clothes in your car and....don't force anything.

Good luck to you - Hope I at least made you laugh - even if it is at my expense. <G>

I'd have to say that I have been incredibly lucky too. Three months in, and apart from the vivid dreams others have experienced, absolutely nothing as regards side effects. Not even the 'runs' (sympathetic thoughts go out to Tim).

I know it can't last, and I expect the house to fall in at any time, but at the moment things are holding steady. What I will need to ask my doctor is how long this regime lasts before I will need to go on another one.

I know it can't last, and I expect the house to fall in at any time, but at the moment things are holding steady. What I will need to ask my doctor is how long this regime lasts before I will need to go on another one.

If you've gone through 3 months with little or no side effects, then you're well over the hump! You should be able to continue with low to UD viral loads for 10-15 years or more. Things like resistance and treatment failure tend to happen when your adherence fails. If you continue with 95% adherence or so, you may never have med failure at all.

i been on atripla for2 weeks , yea i had weird dreams here and there but nothing else. although 2 days ago i been having trouble falling asleep and been dizzy, another thing is i realize that i may have gained weight in my face is that normal??

i been on atripla for2 weeks , yea i had weird dreams here and there but nothing else. although 2 days ago i been having trouble falling asleep and been dizzy, another thing is i realize that i may have gained weight in my face is that normal??

Usually people complain from facial wasting , but this is new that you are having a reverse effect, but I do recall that some people complained from gaining loss in general, and maybe you just notice it in your face...its much better than wasting anyway...a diet would help for sure

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I have to admit : the good thing is that from now on; I have no option but to succeed , still its ok to worry

I have been on Atripla for two years, previously two piles called Truvada and Sustavia since 2006.My friends keep saying my facial looks skinnier, I do not know if it is lipodystrophic. But if you do not have to take it try not to. I am meeting my doctor in New Year to discuss the issue.

Honestly, I probably met only 3 guys who dont have signs of facia wasting even those on Atripla they start to have it within 2 years , I became obsessed with this issue and I know that within two years I will tell if I am from the lucky group of those who dont suffer any facial wasting at all....and if I am part of the majority then I think I will decide in regard to cosmetic therapy I wonder if there are any medications that would reverse this issue, such as gels

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I have to admit : the good thing is that from now on; I have no option but to succeed , still its ok to worry

i been on atripla for2 weeks , yea i had weird dreams here and there but nothing else. although 2 days ago i been having trouble falling asleep and been dizzy, another thing is i realize that i may have gained weight in my face is that normal??

I wanted to let you know that I was not enjoying the drowsiness and trouble falling asleep, waking up half way into the night and my Doctor told me I could take it after work....so now I never have those symtoms ever! I sleep like a baby! Just make sure that you take it on an empty stomach two hours after eating and don't eat for an hour after taking it......I just have to be sly when planning dinner parties and such...I hope I could help.

I've been on Atripla since Dec. 8. I go for my first comparison labs next week to determine the effectiveness. I have gained weight, all in my gut, but always had a problem with that anyway. I am terrified of facial wasting, but I'll deal with it when and if it happens. I have a number of skin issues, none related to Atripla though. I had the rash people speak of and that went away. Some O.I.'s all HIV related, mainly chronic yeast / fungal infection. All treatable and the thing I'm most excited about now, is I had a recurrence, (shingles) and I had used my ointment up. This happened about a week ago and I was devastated thinking my CD4 count hadn't changed or worse was lower, or my VL hadn't gone down enough...couple days later the infection cleared on its own. So, I'm cautiously hopeful about Atripla, but I've read nothing but good news. One thing I'll mention and this could be HIV and not the meds, but I did go through and still at times, joint and muscle aches. Most have diminished to just a mild annoyance if anything. Ibuprofen takes care of it. All and all, no problems here with Atripla, vivid dreams are gone and mine were kind of fun. Some dizziness, and earlier posted, "runs" all of that is a non-issue now. Thank God we have this med - from the research I've done it's the most effective with the least amount of side effects. I'm saving some money in the event I'll require a little botox or something down the road, but hell if it can keep me alive, that's the least of my worries. Good luck, will look forward to your posts - btw. what are your stats? CD4/VL? Just curious because if they are relatively in check, you should see improvement quickly. Read the other posters stats to get an idea of how long it may be before you see some good numbers. It helped me know what to expect so I'm not so scared when I get mine in the event they may not be what I hope. My initials were CD4- 300 / VL 48,000

I am terrified of facial wasting, but I'll deal with it when and if it happens.

This is not an issue generally associated with this medication.

As long as you remain adherent (thereby not having to worry about resistance issues) you shouldn't lose sleep over this.

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"I have tried hard--but life is difficult, and I am a very useless person. I can hardly be said to have an independent existence. I was just a screw or a cog in the great machine I called life, and when I dropped out of it I found I was of no use anywhere else."

Usually people complain from facial wasting...a diet would help for sure

as too many know personally on this site (and discuss for years), facial wasting is not caused by nor cured by diet. you are correct of course, diet is what we eat, not what we don't eat.

i believe a person who loses his/her cheek fat will lose fat in his butt cheeks at the same rate and at the same time. certainly applied to me and everyone i know. it's really facial and butt cheek wasting. how do you know? it hurts to sit for over 10 minutes.

not attempting to hijack this thread...just correct any misunderstanding.

I've been on Atripla for about a year and have noticed fat loss in the temple areas. I'm a small slim built guy anyway and 41 yo so it could be aging. Personally I never liked the drug. Always felt dizzy in the middle of the night and even next day.

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"I do not believe in a fate that will fall on us no matter what we do. I do believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing."